


You've Returned

by LoveLikeAnAntivan



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Female Relationships, Female-Centric, Fluff and Smut, Military, POV Female Character, POV Lesbian Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-07-25 22:23:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7549558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveLikeAnAntivan/pseuds/LoveLikeAnAntivan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Angela Ziegler is a chief medical researcher assigned to work with Overwatch in its golden years under the command of Jack Morrison and his second-in-command Ana Amari, whom she has a slight crush on. Who wouldn't, after all? </p><p>Years later, as Overwatch is being recalled after its downfall, the long lost friendships are being rekindled. Angela meets Fareeha, who is no longer the stubborn child she used to be, but now  she's a war hero, a first-class soldier, and, let's face it, as much of a hot stuff as her mother. Angela, having grown to a famous expert in her field herself, can't miss the striking resemblance of the two women who've played such an enormous role in her life, and as complicatd and weird as life usually tends to be, she eventually starts getting confused by her strange feelings towards Fareeha. Who is not helping with her clumsy, flirtatious comments and an even clumsier power armor.</p><p>Edit: You'll be also witnessing a whole new look at the history of Ana Amari and her romantic affair with a painful twist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I understand what you’re saying, Jack. But your aggressive approach may not be so useful this time. We’ll be in the heart of the enemy territory, not only the lives of our soldiers are at stake.” 

The calm and confident voice with a thick Arabic accent filled the room like warm water. Everyone was standing around a war table in the briefing room, staring at an approximate sketch of a map of the medical facility in the North Korean mountain territory. 

“This is not my first time, Ana. I know what I’m doing. These mongrels don’t deserve mercy, nor a calm and friendly approach.”

He gave Angela a wink. She could feel herself blushing, but frowned at him. 

Ana watched their exchange disapprovingly. 

“This is no time for bad puns, Jack. Remember what you told me when you chose me as your second-in-command? You need someone level-headed by your side, to tame the soldier in you. Trust me, the soldier in _me_ wants to do exactly the same thing you do. But the leader in me tells me something else. You hear that voice too, don’t you?” 

Jack sighed deeply and gave Ana a look that was very hard to decipher. He could have been mad, but he could have also been acknowledging Ana’s point. Angela could never really tell. 

“So how about making a compromise?”

A deep voice sounded from a chair in the corner of the room. Gabriel never liked to take part on the planning; he’s always been more of the get-out and get-stuff-done kind of guy. 

Ana raised her eyebrows and gave him a curious look. 

“Did I just hallucinate?” 

Reinhardt snorted audibly and shook his head. 

“Ana, please. Go on, Gabriel. What’s your suggestion?”

Jack turned to the black haired man in the corner and leaned against the war table, his arms crossed on his chest. 

“I agree with Jack on all points. But I have to admit that Ana is right, too - we can’t risk detection. The consequences would be far too great for the world to handle. I don’t think we’ll be ready for a nuclear war anytime soon. But the research needs to be salvaged. I can only imagine what wonders our mad scientists could do with such data.” 

“We’re right here, you realise that, right?” Winston growled, and poked Angela playfully. She smiled back at him nervously. Angela enjoyed being teamed up with Winston, it felt good to have one of the biggest guys around by her side. In fact, he could be really funny, too. You just don’t want to get him mad, ever. 

“So?” 

A hint of impatience creeped into Ana’s voice. Usually, she was the calm one. There was something happening here, but Angela couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Her eyes lingered on the tanned, weather-beaten but beautifully carved face of the second-in-command. Such beauty among all the soldiers, and yet she was the one with the biggest power. Even the commander himself often succumbed to her sharp battle sense and diplomatic ways. 

And Angela? Her knees got weak whenever the majestic woman laid her eyes on her. 

“Let’s distribute the infiltration units. Let’s send a stealth commando right into the lion’s den. We don’t want to alert any attention, and if there’s something they’re not expecting us to do, it’s taking the direct route.” 

“But what if they get caught?” 

“We _don’t get caught._ ” 

Jack’s eyes locked with Liao’s. 

“I know. But what if, this one time, you do?”

“Well,” Gabriel interrupted their glare-fight, “that’s what the assault unit will be there for. We’ll hold position and wait for Liao and the rest to get the materials. We can take care of some distraction, in the case of an emergency. And if things get bad, well…” 

He looked in Winston and Angela’s direction. 

“Then we better hope Winston will cover our asses, and Dr. Ziegler will sow them back together if a head-on confrontation becomes inevitable.” 

Angela felt everyone’s gaze on herself and could almost see her face getting paler. The silence was getting unbearable, so she finally spoke, as well.

“This whole mission sounds too dangerous. There must be another way. Without unnecessary violence. I don’t want anyone risking their lives for… For what? We don’t even know what we’re after!” 

Her voice was trembling. With tears, or fear, or both. She couldn’t tell. 

Ana’s eyes suddenly softened. 

“Angel, dear. We have proof that they are working on some bio-cybernetic robotic prototypes that could be fatal in the hands of terrorists. But if you get a hold on them - imagine the possibilities.”

Angela saw Torbjörn nodding  intensively. Of course he would be the first one to agree. It only made her more mad. She never approved of his crazy war-machinery. 

“What about a negotiation? A trade? Anything that doesn’t mean more spilled blood?” 

Jack couldn’t hold back an amused laugh. 

“How exactly do you suggest we do that, miss peaceful?” 

Angela shot a helpless glance at Ana, but she only shook her head, watching her with her sad, golden eyes. 

“I don’t… Ich weiss es nicht.” 

Winston put his enormous paw around her shoulder, and she let him. The anger left completely, and she only felt helpless now. These green brains are going to do things their way, like they always do. And she’ll just sit here, wait for them to come back, and hope that they will all be in one piece. 

“Seems like we got a plan, then,” Liao said in his usual, icily calm tone. Jack looked at Ana and nodded slowly. 

“Tell Freya to get the equipment ready. We’ll be departing tomorrow.” 

 

Angela was sitting in her lab, writing down notes on her latest research of the role of the immune system in low-particle beam healing, when she heard the door open silently. It was Ana, wearing her running outfit, with a towel around her neck. From the way she looked, Angela guessed she must have run at least 20 miles. Her morning usual. 

“I thought you were leaving for the mission today,” Angela said in a dull voice, returning to her papers.  

Ana didn’t respond and walked across the room firmly. Then she crouched right next to her. Angela could smell the woman’s sweat and a light hint of her spicy cologne. She turned her chair towards her, took her hand gently in hers, and gave her a wide smile. Angela’s stomach made a tumble. 

“La daei lilqalaq fi misr, Angel. Ma tkhafeesh.” 

“I… I can’t help it. I’m just so worried about you all. About you.” 

“Why? We’ve been through so much, you’d think we’d need more than a bunch of Korean beginners to take us down. Or me.” 

“What about Fareeha?” 

Ana squeezed her hand a little harder, but kept staring into her eyes. 

“My love Fareeha is a strong girl. She will be fine. And she’s got you. I know you two don’t exactly get along, but you have to forgive her. She’s a stubborn green brain, as you say, I guess she got it from her mom, I heard she’s the worst of them all. But I’ll come back. We all will. And one day, Angel, you two will make a great team, walking in our footsteps.”

Given the seriousness of the situation, Angela was trying not to get lost in those eyes, in the scents, and in her comforting, deep, accented voice. She nodded. 

“Just please be careful, commander. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. And you know, Fareeha may be as strong as she wants, she’d be devastated if she lost you. A mother is a hero in the eyes of a child. And it’s twice the truth with you.” 

Ana smiled at her tenderly and palmed her cheek. 

“Don’t you worry, little one. I will never leave.” 

Then she got up, took Angela’s face in her hands, and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. 

“Ma'is salāma.”

“Auf wiedersehen, commander.” 

 

* * *

 

 

“Damn! What are you _doing?”_

“Oh my apologies! I had no idea there was somebody in there!” 

Torbjörn jumped back as the power armour suddenly came to life to reveal an annoyed half of a face. 

“Torbjörn!”

“Fareeha? Fareeha Amari? You’ve grown!” 

“And you haven’t at all!” 

They both laughed and greeted each other heartily.

“It’s a beautiful piece though. Where did you get it?” 

“It’s a part of a Helix Security experiment equipment. Raptora Mark VI, a combat suit designed for quick aerial manoeuvres. It’s equipped with jets and rocket launchers. The rockets are-“

She would have fed Torbjörn’s eagerness to know all about her armour, when suddenly, she lost her words as she saw Jesse enter the room. 

He looked at her from under his cowboy hat and a wild smirk spread across his unshaved face. 

“I’ll be damned. You’ve put on some heavy weight out there!” 

Fareeha took off her helmet and ran to hug her old friend with a grin. 

“I never thought I’d see you again! How have you been? Who else is here?” 

“Calm down, Fee. That’s a tad of a question overload for the old McCree. You’ll see everyone soon. I see you’ve already been inspected by our engineer, that’s good. Now the better part. Follow me.”

“Okay?”

Fareeha made her way through the corridors of the old-fashioned facility. The way its long lost glory reminded her of her childhood made her stomach turn.

“Where are you taking me?”

“You have to see the doctor first. We’ve all been through hell and back, and you’ve had a long journey. Let’s just make sure everything’s in place.” 

“I don’t feel like seeing a doctor right now, to be honest.” 

As she said that, she looked up only to look face to face with a shorter woman with a blonde ponytail. She was dressed in white and her smile was unmistakeable. 

“The doctor feels like seeing you, though,” she said, and as Fareeha heard the familiar germanic accent, tears welled up in her eyes. 

“I’m out of here. Catch ya later, ladies.” 

“Let’s have a dinner together tonight. Tell the others, will you, Jesse?” 

“Sure thing,” he flicked the brink of his hat and gave Angela a wink. Then he was gone. 

For a second or two, they just stood there in silence, staring at each other. Angela couldn’t believe the resemblance. Fareeha looked so much like her mother, and yet she was so different. But she was no longer the “strong, little girl”. Now she was a woman, a soldier with a history that any man would die to live. 

“Come here,” Angela whispered, and gave Fareeha a tight squeeze. She smelled of dust, sweat, oil and gunpowder. 

“Dear Lord, please take this monstrosity off or I’ll faint,” she said, pushing Fareeha away again. She laughed and started unlocking the mechanisms of her combat armour. 

“I don’t think I’ve heard a more charming pickup line ever before, Angel.” 

Angela shot a quick glance at her as she heard the nickname that only the Amari always used for her. It felt nice to hear it again. She could not miss the fact that Fareeha was tall, taller than her mother was. Her muscular frame was underlined by the dark skin tone. She looked nothing like the rough but cute girl Angela remembered. But who was she to talk? When they’ve last seen each other, she was but a child herself. 

“Ah, I’m trained by the best,” she laughed and pointed Fareeha to the examination table. 

“Wait, you are serious?” 

“Natürlich! I have to make sure you’re alright. I won’t let you march in here in your shiny bird armour and pretend like you’ve never missed your regular check-up.” 

A blush ran across Fareeha’s face as she sat down. 

“Take off your shirt.” 

“Wow, are you that happy to see me?” 

“Fareeha, stop making stupid jokes. I can see those bruises even through that T-shirt of yours. Do you know how dangerous untreated broken ribs are?” 

Fareeha rolled her eyes and took her shirt off unwillingly. For a second, Angela could swear she saw the thirteen year old child in her again. The tenderness she felt in her whole body towards Fareeha was almost unbearable, she wanted to hug her as tight as she could and keep her close, close enough that she’d never disappear on her again, like she did those fifteen years ago, and like her mother did around the same time. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. There was work to be done.  

“Does this h-“ 

“OUCH! YES.” 

“How much?” 

“What do you mean how much? A lot.”

“On a scale of one to ten?”

“Twelve. _At least._ ” 

Angela smiled. 

“I missed you, Trottelchen.” 

“You’ve just got your fingers between my broken ribs. I’ll leave the sweet talk for when you take them out, if you don’t mind,” Fareeha hissed through her teeth. 

“Oh, I haven’t even started yet.” 

“AAARRGHH!” 

 

“You think they’re alright in there? I’d still like to say hi to Fareeha before Angela dismantles her for spare parts,” Reinhardt asked in a concerned tone. 

Jesse took a relaxed puff from his cigar. 

“I wouldn’t worry. From my experience, this is how it sounds when they’re happy to see each other.”


	2. Chapter 2

The light dinner with lots of heavy red wine and lots of cheerful talking took place in what used to be the briefing room of the original Overwatch squad. It was the only room where they all could fit to a table. 

Angela couldn’t stop herself from staring at Fareeha constantly. Her features were like carved from sandstone, and the honey-like colour of her eyes… It gave her wild flashbacks of her childhood crush, and yet it was so much different this time. She didn’t recognise herself while fighting the sudden outbursts of longing to take that face in her hands and taste those lips with her own. Not at all. 

“So how’re things at Helix? How’s Tihrak doing?” Reinhardt turned to Fareeha. 

She looked up from her plate with raised eyebrows. 

“Tihrak Hajjar? He’s been off duty for quite some time by now. He lost his arm during an ambush on site of a secret security mission in Israel. Nobody really knows what happened there. But he’s been gone ever since.”

“Yeah. Just like Gabriel. Or Ana.” 

Everyone looked at Lena, who kept on eating her toast peacefully. She looked up when she finally noticed the silence. 

“What?” she asked with a full mouth, “it’s true.” 

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to-“ 

“It’s very appropriate, I’d say.” 

Fareeha cut Reinhardt’s scolding off, a trace of bitter sadness in her voice. 

“Let’s not pretend nobody here knows who my mother was and how she suddenly disappeared into thin air. But I’ll have to disappoint you. I don’t know much more than you do, maybe even less.”

“Your mom was a great chick. And those right hooks! I never saw anyone deliver those quite as she did.”

Fareeha smiled unwillingly. 

“She was a black belt in Judo. She used to teach me, man… Those bruises I have from the battlefield are nothing compared to what I had back then.”

Angela shivered at the image of that, but the others seemed amused. Especially Reinhardt. 

“Ah, yes, yes. She was a glorious woman, and a beautiful soldier.” 

“Was? What if she’s still out there somewhere?” 

“You’re really not making it any better, Lena.”

“If she’s still out there…” 

“Fee, you don’t have to listen to this.” 

“No, don’t interrupt me, Jesse. You know I hate that. If she’s still out there somewhere, I hope she’ll show up and explain why she disappeared on me and was never around to see me achieve all those things she always wished for me. But let’s keep my family chronicles out of this for now. Where’s the wine from? It’s heavenly.” 

Angela, regaining her certainty after the topic has changed to something less uncomfortable, promptly answered: 

“It’s from the old stashes. I believe this one is from Gérard’s vineyards.” 

“His wine is outstanding, but if you’d ever tasted his food… Blergh,” Torbjörn shivered at the memory of something clearly disgusting, “snails and frogs and squishy sea creatures…” 

“Oh Torb, you wouldn’t know anything about appreciating the fine French cuisine, would you?” Angela laughed. 

“It’s so strange, though. Drinking his wine here at the Overwatch headquarters… While Amélie is still out there somewhere,” she continued.

“Yep. Waiting to put a hole in our heads. No thanks,” Jesse growled from underneath his cowboy hat and spat a piece of tobacco on the ground. 

“You guys know what? It’s wonderful to see you all again. But it’s been a long day and I’m still a bit sore. Frau doctor here may be a miracle worker, but her miracles hurt as hell,” Fareeha said, smiled at Angela playfully, and yawned. “I’ll be off to bed.” 

Everyone wished her a good sleep, and after a few more pats on the back and quick exchanges, she made her excuses. Angela’s heart sank. She would’ve loved to hear more from her. But not tonight.

 

Later that night, as Angela was opening the door to her room, someone grabbed her wrist and she squealed.

“Shh,” a whisper sounded in the utter darkness, “it’s just me.” 

Fareeha’s accent was unmistakeable. 

“What on Earth are you doing? I almost peed my pants.” 

“Damn, I would’ve loved to be there if that happened. No, I’m sorry. I can’t sleep. Can I come in?” 

“Of course you can. Is something wrong? Do you need sleeping pills?” 

Fareeha took her time with an answer. She came into the room after Angela, waited for her to turn on the light on the bedside table, and sat down on the ground next to the bed. 

“You know, I do have a chair here,” she teased, but Fareeha’s face was too serious for her to keep on poking her. 

“Okay. What is it?”

“ 'Aftaqid walidati,” Fareeha whispered so silently that it was almost impossible to catch. Then she continued:

“Today I realised how long has it been since I really remembered her. You know? How she taught me how to be a strong woman among strong men. How she'd let me braid her hair while telling me old Arabic fairytales. Or how she’d sometimes paint the Eye of Horus on my face with her eyeliner and tell me that one day I will become the great protector of justice. Back then, I never imagined  that any other way than standing by her side, dressed in the Overwatch colors, united with her against the world. But it never happened like that.”

Angela kept watching her, her voice filled with grief and pain. 

“I never even told this to anyone. I’ve always been a soldier. I thought showing feelings, weakness or emotions was a sign of weakness, something that made me vulnerable and distracted me from my objectives. The world of men is just so ridiculous. It did make me a better soldier, but as a human, as a woman and a daughter, I’ve only become more lonely and miserable.”

Angela got up from her chair and walked over to her, kneeling down on the ground right next to her. She caught Fareeha's hand in hers, just like Ana once did, and put her palm on her cheek. To her surprise it was wet with tears. 

“Schatz… I wish I knew what to say. I understand that you miss her. We all do. She was like a mother to all of us.” 

Fareeha put her hand on Angela’s that was still resting on her face. 

“Look at me,” she snorted, “sitting on the ground in the doctor’s room, crying about my mom.”

Angela smiled.

“It’s alright. The doctor isn’t going to tell anyone.” 

“Does the Hippocratic oath cover crying, too?” 

“Ah, you’d be surprised what all it can cover, when it is needed.”

A strange sparks suddenly appeared in Fareeha’s eyes. 

“I’d love to.” 

“You’d love to what?”

“Be surprised.”

Angela laughed nervously. 

_I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I shouldn’t._

“Fareeha…” 

Fareeha got closer to her. The warmth of her body was unmissable. She smelled like mint and wood, there was no trace of oil and gunpowder anymore. 

“I see you don’t reek like a field gun, that’s good.” 

Fareeha smirked. 

“Who would have thought that you’d be so bad at flirting. Even when we were little, you’ve always been the queen of eloquence. And now, look at you. Dropping bombs to keep your fragile shell safe.”

“What makes you think I’m flirting with you?”

_Of course I am._

“Well, for starters, you made me get naked within the first three minutes after we met. You haven’t seen me in fifteen years and when you do, there go my pants.” 

“You had to take that canister off so that I could-“

“And second,” Fareeha went on, ignoring the remark, “You’re awfully close to my face for a colleague, Frau doctor.” 

Angela stood up rapidly, turning her back to Fareeha, hiding her face in her palms.

“You know what? You’re right. And I feel horrible because you came here to talk to me about your feelings and I can’t even contain myself around you enough not to want to kiss the tears off your face. I haven’t felt like this about anyone ever and I don’t even _know_ you, for my god’s sake! So maybe you should just leave, because I’m not managing this whole situation and I don’t think I can be responsible for myself.”

“I can’t believe what a glass of French wine does to a Swiss. It sure does take the edge off…” 

“Oh shut up you stupid-“ 

Angela took a deep breath as she suddenly felt Fareeha’s arms wrap around her from behind. She was so tall, and felt so warm. Angela’s knees got weak. 

“Kunn hadyaan,” she whispered into her blonde hair, and pressed her closer, “I don’t care what the consequences are. But I think that right now I’m going to need you not to be responsible for yourself.”

Angela turned around to face Fareeha, looking up at her. She took her face in her hands, just like she imagined for a hundred times today, lowered it down to her level, and softly pressed her lips against Fareeha’s. A silent moan escaped Fareeha’s lips as she pressed herself against her firm, scarred body. Angela pressed with all her strength and made Fareeha hit the wall with her back. She hissed in pain. 

“Are you sure this is good for my ribs?”

“To hell with your ribs. I’ll fix them in the morning. _Ich will dich in mir.”_

Fareeha almost didn’t recognise Angela anymore. Her voice suddenly sounded deeper, almost hoarse. She pressed herself against Fareeha, her legs slightly spread, just enough that Fareeha’s hand could slip between her thighs from behind. 

“Ach, mein Gott,” Angela breathed out. Fareeha felt her body give up against the soft movements of her hand. Without a warning, she lifted Angela in her arms and threw her on the bed, where she pulled her white thighs down to her knees. 

“You know, it’s been a while,” Fareeha said in an unsure voice.

“Same here. Don’t make me wait any longer. Bitte.” 

Angela’s begging was hard to resist. Fareeha lowered her head down to her waist, and her tongue made its way between Angela’s burning thighs. Her head was spinning, and when Angela’s legs wrapped around her back and she started responding to the movements of her tongue with her hips against her face, she almost felt like the was going to faint. 

“AAAAH,” Angela breathed out with pleasure, maybe a little too loudly.

 

In the next room, Jesse turned in his bed, pushing his earplugs deeper. Originally, they were against Reinhardt’s snoring. Seems like they’ll get a brand new use now. 

 _Yep_ , he thought to himself, _definitely happy to see each other_. 


	3. Chapter 3

“Fall back!” 

The air was filled with sand and Angela barely saw where Jack’s voice in the communicator came from. She was trying to stay behind her team, but the sandstorm was making any kind of orientation almost impossible. 

“They’ve deployed snipers! Two sighted at sixteen and three hours! _Everyone fall back!_ ” 

When there were no explosions, she heard the cries of wounded soldiers. She couldn’t tell whom they were coming from. On the brink of death, everyone sounds the same. 

“Mercy copy,” she shouted into her communicator. She heard Reinhardt, Jesse, and Tracer report retreat as well. 

“Pharah!” 

Jack’s screaming made the headphone in her ear crackle. 

“Fareeha, you idiot! Come the fuck back! We’re outnumbered!” 

Mercy froze. She fell into a nearest cover, clenching her Caduceus staff. Sweat was pouring down her face, making the sand stick all over it. It was driving her mad, and she was losing her sight  because of it even more. 

“I’ve found their teleporter! If I manage to shut it down, we’ll be able to break through their- ARGH!”

The connection was suddenly cut off by an explosion that sounded dangerously close to Mercy’s position. Her radar showed Fareeha on low health not far from here. 

“Pharah, report and retreat! I repeat, report and retreat!”

There was nothing but static silence coming from her channel. 

“Fareeha!” 

“She was shot down,” Angela whispered to herself. Her heart almost stopped. She was anything but ready to lose another Amari just yet. 

“Fareeha’s down! I’m after her. Jack, wait for us.” 

“ _ANGELA!_ Follow the orders or we’ll leave you here! You’re putting us all in danger!” 

Angela took the communicator out of her hear and threw it on the ground. 

“Fuck you, Jack.”

Not hesitating for a second, she ran out of her cover. After a few steps, she noticed the smoking heap of Fareeha’s Raptora suit collapsed on the ground. She speeded up and ran straight to her. 

“Angela, no!” 

But Fareeha’s warning came too late. A rifle shot cut through the air mercilessly, hitting Angela in her right shoulder mid-flight. It sent her flying back uncontrollably until she hit a stone wall and fell to the ground. Panic spread through her mind, but she managed to at least realise what happened and started crawling to cover behind a pole that was thick enough to hide her. It didn’t go very well, as her shoulder was bleeding heavily and the pain was throbbing in her whole chest. The bigger problem was that the sudden impact made her drop the staff. 

She was almost there, but then another shot echoed through the ruins and Angela felt a blinding bolt of pain piercing through her leg. She shrieked with pain and her face hit the sand. She just lied there helplessly, not being able to move further. The pain was excrutiating, spreading through her whole body, and without her staff there was nothing she could do against it.

“Ya sharmouta!” 

She heard Fareeha’s outcry, followed by a round of rocket explosions. She must have taken the sniper down, because no more shots came back, although she was an extremely easy target, out in the open. 

Angela could hear Fareeha shouting something at her, but she wasn’t able to understand the words. Sand was all over her face, in her mouth and in her eyes. Her wounds were bleeding heavily, and even without her expertise she could tell that if she doesn’t get her staff five minutes ago, she’ll most likely bleed out right there. 

She started crawling towards where her radar was showing the position of her staff. She could feel its power close enough, it was tickling her skin, but not enough to ease the pain. Closing her eyes, gritting her teeth, she moved slowly through the blood-stained sand. Fareeha’s cries were getting more and more distant. Her sight was darkening and the bloodrush in her head was making it 

hum like a giant waterfall. Exhausted and tortured by the pain she fell with her face to the ground  once again. Having gathered all her strength and taking a breath as deep as she could, she reached her arm out and to her own surprise, she felt her fingers wrap around the grip of her staff. Pressing the low-particle healing button, she felt as if electricity started pouring through her veins, setting all her muscles on fire. The pain was going away, for now. But she will deal with the consequences later. Giving herself a power boost, she got up on her knees, waited until her head stopped spinning, and stood up. 

“Fareeha!”

She ran to her as fast as she could, aiming her staff at the fallen soldier, but nothing happened. She wasn’t receiving her signal, which could only mean one thing. She’s unconscious at best. 

_There is no way this is happening. No way in hell._  

Angela let her staff go on override and let its power fill her up to her toes. She threw her head back, overflowing with energy, and put her glowing hand on Fareeha’s chest. 

The stream of energy flowed through her arm and fingertips directly into Fareeha’s ribcage. In response, the unconscious woman opened her eyes and gasped for air dryly. Angela, exhausted from the resurrection, bent her head down, smiling. 

“Heroes never die,” she whispered, “not on my watch.” 

“Jesus fuck. You just saved my life. Oh Angel, you could have been.. I was just trying to…” 

“Hush,” Angela said, standing up, “come on. We need to get out of here now. If the sniper didn’t finish us, Jack will.”

She helped Fareeha on her feet, giving a power boost to her armor, so that it wouldn’t fall apart. It looked dim and dirty, but still imposing. Fareeha was so big and strong, and although the wings of her suit were broken and it was smudged with smoke and heavy impacts, she still looked like an Egyptian warrior goddess. 

“Come on, Vögelchen. We need to be quick.” 

Fareeha grunted as she moved, but they moved quickly. They made their way directly to the Overwatch aircraft. The doors were closing, but they made it in the last second, both collapsing on the ground with a heavy pant. 

“The doctor is in,” Angela croaked weakly. The rest of the crew seemed amused by her remark, but Jack just stared at them without a single movement in his grim face. 

“That you, Fareeha Amari, are an idiot, I already knew long ago. But Angela, that you are double the idiot, that’s new.” 

Angela sat up, giving him a sour look. 

“We’re here, and we made it.” 

“But you ignored my orders and rushed straight into the red zone. Talon’s snipers are one of the best ones I’ve ever encountered, and you just fly there like the special snowflake you are, saving your precious girlfriend, and getting two loads of lead in the process. Look at you! What do you think the chances were that the two of you would actually return in one piece?” 

“Jack,” Reinhardt intervened before Angela could even take a breath, “calm down. Angela is right. They’re here and they’re alright, and that’s what matters. We’re not a soldiers unit anymore. And you’re not the commander anymore, my friend. We cooperate, but we do what we find is best at any moment. You know that as well as I do.”

“Fine,” Jack spat out bitterly, “I’m not your babysitter,” he growled and stormed off. 

 Fareeha just kept looking to the ground.

“Is everyone okay?” Angela asked in a concerned tone, looking over her teammates. 

They all nodded. Jesse came to her and helped her get up. 

“Are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow over her blood-soaked Valkyrie suit. 

“I think so,” she responded, giving him an uncertain smile. 

“Come on, Fareeha. You’ve got blood everywhere,” she said then, taking a few not very sure steps towards the improvised medical station. 

Fareeha smiled at the bossy, professional tone that Angela immediately put on. 

“I think it’s mostly yours, doctor.” 

“Oh! Right, that’s probably right,” Angela laughed a little too loudly in response, “I should probably find a plaster.” 

Fareeha managed to catch her in her arms before she collapsed to the ground, fainting. 

“Jesus fucking Christ! How much blood did she lose?” Jesse shouted, making space on the bank so that Fareeha could lay the petite woman down on it. 

“Well, she’s been shot with a rifle. Twice.” 

“What is this little person even made of, seriously.” 

“Steel, Torb. Unlike your turrets.”

“Hey, no need to get salty with me! Not my fault that you didn’t get to _high_ your _noon_ today!” 

Fareeha didn’t even listen to their stupid haggling, she was just glad they got out in one piece. She sat down next to Angela’s unconscious body, checking her temperature with the palm of her hand. 

“Hold on, my hero,” she whispered, “I’m not done with you yet, enti alaki.” 


	4. Chapter 4

Angela woke up later than usual, which gave her a slight feeling of annoyance with herself. She always preferred getting to work early in the morning; her mind seemed clearer for dealing with the more demanding tasks, and she was overall more of a morning person. 

Besides, she’d sometimes tag along for a morning jog or a gym session with Fareeha, which (no matter how humiliating it usually was) became one of her favorite morning activities. 

She made her way down the hall to the briefing room and the headquarter’s cafeteria.

“Guete Morgä, Reinhardt. Weisch du wo Fareeha isch?” 

He was sitting in the cafeteria, enjoying his usual morning bucket of sweet coffee with milk, reading his morning paper peacefully. He waved at her in a friendly way, but his face became a grimace of pain as she spoke. 

“Angela, don’t you Schwiizerdütsch me, it pulls my ears like nothing else in the entire world. Please, use a language worthy of your education.” 

Angela laughed at his annoyed reaction. 

“Entschuldigung, I didn’t mean to ruin your morning. Have you by any chance seen Fareeha this morning? I can’t find her anywhere.” 

Reinhardt gave her a curious look. 

“Haven’t you heard?” 

She frowned at the sudden shift of his tone. 

“Haven’t I heard what?” 

He paused, as if contemplating whether he’s the right one to break the news to her, but then he shook his head. 

“I guess she should tell you herself. I haven’t seen her yet, but I’m sure she’ll show up.”

“Okay,” she sighed, “but you didn’t really make me feel calmer, you know.” 

“Don’t worry, child. I think you may welcome the news yourself.” 

The door suddenly opened and Fareeha walked in, her face red and covered with sweat. She was wearing her running outfit, and once again Angela couldn’t help but wonder how can she look so much like her mother. So similar, yet so different.

“There you are,” she smiled, “I’ve been looking for you all over the place.” 

Angela expected at least a good morning kiss, but Fareeha only smiled back absently and went on to grab some fruits. 

“I guess Reinhardt has already told you,” she said, giving Angela a look that was hard to decipher. Angela was getting impatient about the lack of information she found herself in. 

“Nobody told me anything, and I’d be happy to finally know what’s been going on.” 

“I just remembered I have to, uh, something very urgent to attend to. Excuse me, ladies.” 

Reinhardt got up and left hurriedly, taking his enormous coffee mug and Berliner Zeitung elsewhere. 

When the door closed behind him, Fareeha finally let herself go. She collapsed on the nearest bank, letting out a heavy sigh. Angela sat down next to her and tried to read something more from the beautiful face, but she was as lost in her expression as she could be. 

“What is it, Schatz?” she asked finally, “did something happen?” 

Fareeha looked into her eyes for a while. 

“It’s my mother, Angel. She came back.” 

For a second, Angela had a feeling that the earth moved underneath her feet. A wave of fatigue came over her, but she tried to keep her composure. 

“Ana is back? But… But I thought that she…” 

“Yes, exactly. We all believed her to be dead, or at least somewhere close to it. But apparently she’s been out there the whole time, wearing her shadow cloak and running after criminals. She just forgot to mention that to her daughter for fifteen years, that’s all.” 

Angela felt a feeling of sickness creeping up to her stomach. But she still put her hand on Fareeha’s thigh and moved closer to her. Then she rested her head against the muscular shoulder. 

Fareeha put her arm around her waist and pulled her as close as she could. Angela let herself drown in the warmth and exotic fragrance, but as she closed her eyes, Ana’s face materialized right in front of them. 

“Angel?” A familiar voice sounded right next to her ear. She opened her eyes in shock, only to see Fareeha staring at her with a confused expression. 

“Angel, are you okay?” 

“Of course,” she responded, giving Fareeha a soft, but unusually long kiss. As if to reassure herself who she’s really talking to, “I’m here if you need me, Schatzi. I’m sure your mother will have an explanation.” 

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

Angela was just drawing a breath for another reassuring comment, when she heard the automatic door open.

“Heavens, have you grown.” 

A voice sounded from the doorway, exactly the same that said Angela’s name in her head moments ago. They both turned around to see Ana standing there, resting against the wall, a warm smile on her beautiful, seasoned face. Her laugh lines were more pronounced, and Angela didn’t remember the wrinkles around her eyes either. Her hair was white and silver instead of the jet black as she remembered, just like Fareeha’s. But other than that, there was no doubt. Ana has come back in all her glory, her beauty only becoming more graceful with age. 

“My beautiful girls, looking after each other.”

Fareeha stood up, staring at Ana, completely dumbfounded. 

“Mom?” all the defiance from a minute ago was gone. Now she again looked like the little girl she once was, in a desperate need of the squeeze of her mother’s arms. 

“My love. Ya eazyza. Tueal 'iilaa huna,” Ana’s voice was overflowing with emotion. She spread her arms and Fareeha walked towards her, letting the smaller woman to hug her tight. 

“Walida,” Fareeha whispered, tears running down her cheeks, “what happened to you? Your eye?”

“Hush,” Ana responded quietly, “there will be enough time for explaining later. Just hold me now, my baby.”  

Angela couldn’t stop the tears coming into her own eyes, although she felt uncomfortably unnecessary in this situation. She just sat there with her hands in her lap and smiled at the sight of such an unexpected reunion. But then she noticed Ana looking at her, so she quickly wiped her tears off and smiled. 

“Angel. You’ve grown up to be the true bearer of your name. I’ve heard of your engagement in the new Overwatch activities. You’re still the fearless Valkyrie you used to be on the battlefield. Covering our asses with your golden wings, like Jack always used to say. Am I right?”

Angela chuckled and felt blood rushing to her cheeks and nodded slightly.

“It is so, I suppose. Although it is not what it used to be when we used to go on missions together. I am so happy to see you again, commander.” 

Ana let go of Fareeha, whose expression now gave away curiosity, and then she laughed loudly. 

“Old habits die hard, I see. No more commander, Angel. Just Ana.” 

The older woman reached out her hand, and Angela stood up and responded to it, expecting a handshake. But instead, she was pulled in with a surprising force and before she knew, she found herself in the embrace of Ana’s arms. She gave in willingly, but it still felt like some wild dream to her. 

“Let’s go, my flowers. Let’s talk. I owe you all some answers.” 

Angela followed the two Egyptians through the hallway, feeling utterly confused. She saw how Fareeha kept glancing at her mother, as if she was just some apparition about to dissolve into thin air at any second. She wanted to hold her in her arms and comfort her racing heart, but she knew it wasn’t her place to do so. So instead she just stayed back, and tried to process the thoughts rushing through her head. 

Fareeha is her beautiful sphinx, her brave thunderbird, whom she is keeping the skies clear with, side by side high up in the air. But Ana… Who is Ana, at all? Someone she used to dream about when she was thirteen, someone she looked up to as the commander she used to be, or as the mother that Angela herself never had. Seeing her again in flesh and blood, after noticing traces of her through Fareeha’s existence, was making her feel like she’s going to lose her mind. 

Ana had no idea about the role she played in Angela’s life, especially in her self-realisation. She never told her anything about the ways she made her feel sometimes, when Angela was tending to her wounds after a mission, or when she’d come to the young Swiss and ask her to teach her Quatro. But how could she ever say a word? She was just a child back then, and a military base wasn't exactly a place that would offer enough space for this kind of personal ventilation, especially not for a thirteen year old, sexually confused about her dark haired commander. 

She walked behind them, their heels making an echo in unison in the empty hallways. Staring at Fareeha’s muscular back in her tank top next to Ana’s straight and firm posture, she couldn’t get rid of a thought that kept creeping into her mind. 

_Oh Ana… How do you still smell of cinnamon rolls and fresh flowers, after all those years?_


	5. Chapter 5

Angela opened her eyes slowly. Her head ached like a splinter and for the first few moments, before her eyes got used to the sharp light of the room, she had no idea where she was. The pain was almost impossible to handle, and it was everywhere. Rooting in her stomach, spreading through her chest and her pelvis to all her limbs. And the terrible headache. 

She tried to speak, but no sound came out of her mouth. Just a dry, scratching breath in her throat. 

“Shh, shh,” the so familiar warm and thick accented voice sounded somewhere next to her, “look who has come to.” 

“Ana,” she breathed out so silently it was barely hearable. 

“Don’t talk, Malak. It’s all right now.”

She felt her consciousness slipping through her fingers like sand. What on earth has happened to her? 

 

_“No monkey business today, Fareeha. This time, we won’t wait.”_

_“Sounds funny coming from you, Winston. But solid copy.”_

_“I don’t think I’m in the position to comment but-“_

_“No you’re not, mom. Please.”_

_“Alright. But I’ll be there to cover your back.”_

_“Then I have nothing to worry about.”_

_“Ana, we need a sniper. Not a samaritan. Leave the healing to Angela.”_

_“Calm down, Jack. I can do both with my eyes closed.”_

_“You mean eye.”_

_“Oh I swear to the heaven above, wait until I get my hands on you, you unfunny old fart.”_

_“Everyone, calm down. We’re almost there. Fareeha, are you ready?”_

_“I was born ready.”_

_“She was.”_

_“Mom!”_

 

_“Pharah reporting. I’m approaching the target location. NNW 35-79-95. Over.”_

_“Fareeha, all clear, I’ve got you covered. Proceed with caution. Over.”_

_“Ground forces got the East and North-West gates locked down. Waiting for the signal. Over.”_

_“What on Earth… ARGH!”_

_“Pharah, what is it? Report on your situation! Over!”_

_“Damn, gunfire on 1300 hours. We’re going in. Over.”_

_“Fareeha! I’ve lost you from sight! Follow the plan or I won’t be able to cover you! Over!”_

_“Un-.. pected res-tance f-.. the aer-al -ecurity. I’m -nder h-v.. f-re! O-er!”_

_“Fareeha! I’m with you! Over.”_

_“Angel st-y dow-! R-peat - …y down! T-ey -ot …i-ers! Over!”_

_“We’ve cleared the first point! Pushing forward, we broke through, their defences are weakening! Over!”_

_“Fareeha report! I can’t see you! Is Angel with you? Over!”_

_“I —t —..-w th-..er..- ..re!”_

_“Fareeha!”_

_“What happened? Pharah, report your position! Over!”_

_“Ana, where is Fareeha? Can you see her?”_

_“No, they must have surprised her in the air. She’s down.”_

_“Angela NO! FALL BACK! STAY IN COVER!”_

_“A-gel…”_

_“Damn! Won’t you EVER listen to me?”_

_“HEROES NEVER DIE! Blgurgh-”_

 

_“I need to get out of here. They’ve got drones and snipers, I can’t get back in the air.”_

_“Take the passage East. I can cover you there.”_

_“Where’s Angel?”_

_“Fareeha GO!”_

_“Objective secured. The explosives in the server room have been deployed. Heading back. Over.”_

_“Copy. Hurry up. Over.”_

_…_

_“Bonjour Ana. On se revoit.”_

_“Amélie! What is this? How did you get here? It’s a secured channel!”_

_“Chut chut. I believe your angel has fallen. She’s on the galerie of the second floor. Too bad I didn’t get your blue bird as well. Au revoir, chérie.”_

_“Amélie wait! What did you do to her? Amélie? What did you do…”_

_…_

_“Jack? Do you copy? Over.”_

_“Loud and clear. Over.”_

_“Mercy’s down. She’s on the second floor balcony.”_

_“WHAT? Mom where is she? I’m going-“_

_“You’re going straight ahead or their missile drones will tangle in your hair and we will be little to no help to you. Keep moving, my child, for the love of god. Over.”_

_“Mercy secured. We’re moving back. Over.”_

_“Thank you, Jack. How is she? Fareeha, you’re clear. Get back to the craft. Over.”_

_“Pharah copy. Over.”_

_“She… She’s been shot. A wound the size of a quarter. And there’s something… In the blood. Over.”_

_“In the… Oh fuck.”_

_“What? What is it mom?”_

_“Talon sniper.”_

 

 

Cautiously, she opened her eyes again. This time it was darker, more bearable. A dim light coming from a lamp on the small table beside her bed. She recognised the headquarter’s sick bay that she always operated herself. Now it was empty and silent, apart from a figure laying on a bed next to her. Her sight was blurry, but she saw the pitch black hair and recognised the figure. 

“Fareeha?” 

She awoke quickly, jumping up on her bed almost comically. 

“Angel! You’re up!”

“What happened to me?” 

“You… You’ve been shot.” 

“Shot? I feel like I’ve been cut open, filled with iron splinters and sown back up… And my head…”

Fareeha came over to Angela’s bed and sat down on it carefully, placing her hand on her burning, sweaty face.

“Well… It’s a bit more complicated, I admit. But I think my mom will know better how to tell you this.” 

“Ana? Why? Did she shoot me?” 

Fareeha laughed, and shook her head.

“Your black humour keeps amazing me, Dr. Ziegler.” 

Angela smiled weakly, but then her face turned into a grimace of pain.

“What is it with me? This is not what an inflamed bullet wound should feel like,” she whined, and a single tear of pain ran down her cheek, “I feel like I’m dying.” 

“It was Amélie.” 

Ana walked in through the automatic door wearing her white doctor's cloak. Angela got a heavy flashback to the times of the old Overwatch, when Ana would come into her lab and wear this, getting herself thoroughly involved in Angela’s research. But then the meaning of what she said pierced through her confused sentimental memories. 

“Amélie? _Our_ Amélie?” 

“I am afraid so. She’s with Talon now, possibly against her will, at least until she had any. She was the one who almost killed me on my last Overwatch mission.” 

Angela felt a wave of coldness rush through her body, and it had nothing to do with the injury now. It was dread, clenching at her organs with its long, icy fingers from inside.

“Did you see her, mom?” 

“I didn’t. But I know the wound when I see it. It’s been right here on my face for years,” Ana made a gesture towards her eyepatch and continued: “she shoots specially adjusted poison rounds that inflict the wound, causing muscular spasms and slowing down the immune system to disable the healing.”

“A black widow,” Angela whispered feverishly, half to herself. 

“What?” Fareeha looked at her, confused. 

“That’s what a black widow spider does to her prey.” 

“Baldbt,” Ana agreed, “we have some antidotes but they are merely experimental,” she added and exchanged a worried look with Fareeha. 

The whole room was spinning. Angela felt how her consciousness was on the verge of leaving her again. 

“I’ll take a double shot with ice,” she whimpered, and then everything went black. Angela trusted Ana’s healing powers, and had to hope for the best. But now she had to sleep, to let her organism concentrate fully on fighting the poison.

 

“Don’t worry, love. She will be okay. I will not allow it any other way,” Ana said, putting her arm around her daughter’s sunk shoulders reassuringly. 

“Why didn’t you tell me where she was? Maybe I could’ve saved her.”

Fareeha didn’t look at her, but the coldness and blame in her voice was clear even without her face giving it away. Ana sighed deeply. 

“Don’t you sigh on me. On the battlefield, you’re not my mother. You’re not even the deputy commander you used to be. And yet you walk around bossing everyone-“

“She literally had you on her visor, alttayir alssaghir. I couldn’t risk you getting one as well. With that suit of yours you’re like a war machine, but you stand no chance against a trained sniper who shoot me in the head from 8,000 feet.”  

Now she finally felt Fareeha’s eyes on herself, her eyes wide with horror.

“Besides,” now their eyes met and Ana felt a rush of emotion towards the fierce woman that has once been her little girl, “I know you would have died for her if you had to. She almost did, twice by now. Only a fool wouldn’t notice.” 

Ana saw tears welling in her daughter’s eyes, and felt her own eyes burning. 

“I almost died with worry that Angel wouldn’t make it. But what could stop you from coming back for her had you known she was shot down after resurrecting you there? Not me, that I know for sure.”

Fareeha swallowed her tears and anger spread across her face. Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, she spoke:

“What kind of a commander would you have been, anyway? Sacrificing the lives of those you prefer over those you’re not in love with?”

Before Ana recovered from the shock of this accusation, she continued:

“You better make sure Angel survives this, mother.”

Without giving Ana a chance to defend herself in any way, Fareeha turned around and stormed off. 

“Who are you to tell me whom I am or am not in love with, my baby,” she whispered under her breath, tears rolling down her face now, as she placed her hand on the glass window of the sick bay, where Angela’s unconscious body tortured with fever laid, alone. 

“I’ve lost much more than you ever could. If you only knew.” 


	6. Chapter 6

“What an idiot! I’ve told him million times that he should leave the healing on the field to me or to you. Haven’t I? We are the actual support team, right? It’s our job to keep an eye on everyone. But no,” Ana was ranting angrily as she marched around the medical room, gathering her tools for the surgery, bombarding Angela with rhetoric questions she didn’t even expect an answer to. She was frowning intensely and her black hair was flying around her face. Her accent was even thicker than usual due to the unsurpassable anger mixed with worry, and the steel items were rattling coldly as she was throwing them on the tray. 

“No, he’s got this image in his head that he’s going to be the hero on all fronts. Trying to heal Reinhard instead of pushing forward with him while we _both_ were in range. Wallah, one day, this man’s ego will bring him to his grave.” 

Angela sighed and tried to ignore the pressing feeling in her stomach. Whether it was caused by her raging superior, or by the fact that she was about to perform a surgery on her other superior, she couldn’t really tell. Probably a mixture of both. The amount of emotion that Ana was showing in this kind of situations seemed almost alien to her, but strangely attractive. 

“He will be fine. I’ve done many bullet wounds before. This is not even such a bad one.” 

“I _know_. But he is still a reckless son of-“ Ana stopped herself before she spat out another name for captain Morrison. She looked at Angela, her face flustered, and let out a deep sigh. 

“I’m sorry, Angel. Let’s go. Just do me a favor, would you? Make sure you use a little less anaesthesia than usual.” 

Angela nodded and smiled unsurely, following Ana to the walkway leading to the operation hall. When they entered, Morrison was sitting on the operation table, his right arm wrapped in bandages soaked with bleeding that was luckily stopped by now. To the both women’s surprise, a woman dressed in black skirt and a white shirt, her hair tied up to a black pony tail, was sitting on a chair next to Jack’s bed. Angela has never seen her on the base before. She looked up to them with her catlike eyes, then she smiled and nodded as a greeting. 

“Amélie? What are you even doing here?” Ana blurted out as she froze in the doorway, her voice giving away maybe a little too much of the surprise she suddenly felt. 

“Ah, bonjour, dames. A very urgent matter, I am sorry to disturb the procedure. I’ll be on my way.” 

She got up, her strong posture and light steps giving away the training of a dancer.

“Thank you, Jack. Let’s talk later. Au revoir, dames,” she gave Angela a wink which made the young doctor blush uncontrollably. Angela then noticed that Ana and this unknown woman’s eyes met for a little longer than usual, before she took her leave and the door closed behind her. 

“I didn’t realise you and Mrs. Lacroix know each other so well that you call her Amélie?” 

The genuine surprise in Jack’s voice was unmissable. 

“We’ve met before.”

“You did? Have you ever been stationed in- OUCH! Okay, OKAY! No more questions, I get it.” 

Ana growled something under her breath as she started cleaning the wound on Jack’s shoulder. 

“Please be gentle, doctor Ziegler. Whatever Ana told you.” 

“Oh, don’t worry captain,” Angela smiled sweetly, “I’ve learnt a few tricks from her.”

“Oh lord help me.”

“This is what you get for playing Superman, Jack.” 

“I’ve had it under control Ana! If Reinhardt hadn’t m- mrrghh…”

His sentence faded away in a snarl as Ana injected him with her sleeping fusion. 

“It may be better this way, after all,” she said with a smirk. 

 

“I am so sorry I’ve kept you waiting, my love. The operation went well but then Angel needed some help with adjusting her suit and-“ 

Ana’s stream of apologies was suddenly cut off with a deep, passionate kiss. The body she’s been missing so badly for so many months was suddenly pressed against her own, and she felt one hand finding its way through her hair, while the other fumbled on the door handle until it reached the lock, securing the door behind her as Ana got pressed against it. She let out an almost painful exhale, gasping for air as the other woman’s hand pulled her hair, making her throw her head back, and bit her neck tastefully. 

“ ‘Awh nem, min fadlik. 'Awh nem,” she whimpered softly and pressed her hips against the other woman’s, who moved away in response, only making Ana moan with frustration. 

“Please. I want to feel you in me. Please,” she cried, her head still pulled back, “it’s been so long.

She was rammed against the door once more with a surprising force, and when she felt the long fingers stroking her between her legs, her knees almost gave up at the sensation. 

The other woman ripped her black pants off, proceeding with pulling down Ana’s underwear, leaving her completely exposed. Admiring the sight, she went down on her knees, maintaining eye contact with those big, golden eyes. Ana’s mouth was half open, the long black hair sticking on her flushed face, the sparkling eyes looking into hers expectantly. Almost as expectantly as her toned legs, spread just wide enough so that the other woman’s face would fit between them. As she kneeled down, she grabbed Ana’s hips and pulled them closer, almost surprised when she tasted all the wetness. 

“Oh god,” Ana growled breathlessly somewhere in her throat, “you’re going to kill me.” 

“I do hope not, _ma chérie._ ”

 

 

“It’s Gérard.” 

Ana sighed as she stared at the ceiling. She was tangling her fingers in the now loose hair of her lover, enjoying the closeness of her body after such an unbearably long time. She almost didn’t remember anymore when was the last time they could share a moment together, due to Ana’s deployment and Amélie’s research. The only thing that disturbed her happiness in this treasured moment of bliss was the mention of Amélie’s husband. Who, on the top of it all, was a good friend to her for years. 

“I am sorry, ma cobra égyptien. But there is something happening, and I think it has more to do with Overwatch than he cares to admit.”

This caught Ana’s attention, no matter how much she didn’t want to listen to this. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know, Ana. That’s why I came here. I needed to talk to Morrison and warn him that something is up.”

The coldness spreading through Ana’s guts was horrifying. A mixture of jealousy, anger and desperate love, it was making her feel as if she was drowning in her own feelings, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“Why not talk to me? I am in command as much as Jack is.”

The effort to hide the hurt in her voice was awfully unsuccessful. Amélie got up on her elbows and looked straight into her eyes. 

“I am sorry, Ana. I didn’t mean to hurt you in any way. I just thought it would be better to leave de cette affaire out of this.”

She wanted to touch Ana’s face, but she turned away. 

“Ana please…” 

The tone of Amélie’s voice made Ana ashamed of her reaction, but she couldn’t help herself none the less. Didn’t Amélie trust her enough to tell her that something is happening to her family? Was she just the intruder, the secret lover, better to be kept out of serious business? It was making her angry, but most of all it was making her incredibly sad. 

“Don’t you understand?” 

“Yes, yes I do understand,” she snapped back, maybe a bit too aggressively. But Amélie didn’t back off.

“This whole thing that’s been going on between us, I know it’s uncomfortable and complicated, I realise that as well as you do. But when I’m not in bed with you, I’m as much of your husband’s superior and Overwatch commander as Morrison. And the fact that you would go out of your way to meet with him just to avoid me, well… I am sorry, but that just makes me feel terrible.” 

Amélie looked at her for a few seconds. Ana noticed that her eyes started tearing up, but before she could say anything further, Amélie turned away and got up from the bed. Her trained naked body looked marvellous in the morning light, but Ana did all she could not to get distracted.

“It made you feel terrible?” she whispered in an ice cold tone. Ana didn’t respond. 

“I am so sorry for making you feel terrible. I really am. Someone is trying to assassinate my husband and I am absolutely certain I’m being followed as well. But it’s your hurt feelings that we’re going to be talking about here.” 

Ana opened her mouth in surprise; “Amélie I had no idea-“ 

“Tais-toi.”

The tears in her voice were clearly to be heard by now.

“Just please shut up. I love you, you know I do. But I am married to him. And now both our lives are in danger. If it really is Talon that’s after him, then it’s something that goes far beyond our pillow talk.” 

“Amélie I can’t believe what you’re saying right now.”

 Ana’s heart felt as if it was being crushed by a weight so great she was afraid to lose her mind from the pain. 

“I am saying that I want you to stay out of this. I want Morrison to be in charge of this, and I want you to be nowhere near Talon’s activities. They’re after Gérard and it’s making me want to die, because I am so afraid of losing him. But if you’d be in this mess as well… I couldn’t bear it.”

“How can you talk like this? It’s my job, for my god’s sake! If I don’t die trying to keep you safe, I will die somewhere else, for someone else. That’s how war is, and how it will always be.”

“But I don’t want you to die at all!” Amélie shouted, turning her teary eyes to Ana, “you are my love, and I couldn’t look your daughter in the eye if anything ever happened,” she cried, shaking Ana's naked shoulders desperately, “do you understand me? I need you in my life as Ana, I don’t want any heroic captain Amari dying at the scope of one of Talon’s special ops because of my husband’s business.” 

Ana caught Amélie in her arms and pulled her closer, hugging her struggling body hard, until the resistance turned into a series of soft sobs. 

“My love… Calm yourself. It will be all right.”

“Please, Ana. I am so scared of losing everything I have. Don’t let this happen.”

Anna kissed her hair and closed her eyes. 

“Alright. If that’s really what you wish… I will not get involved, and I will let Jack and the others handle this. I trust their judgement as I trust my own, at least most of the time. They will protect you. And I will be here for you.”

Amélie nodded slightly. 

“Oh mon Dieu, look at me, I’m a mess,” she sighed, got out of Ana’s embrace, wiping the tears off her face. Ana had to smile at the sight of how stubborn this stunning woman was. 

“You’re as beautiful as ever, eankbut.”

“Ah, shut it, you just want to get in my pants… Again,” she responded with a smirk, “speaking of which, I’ve got something for you.”

Amélie walked over to her beige autumn coat, and pulled an oblong-shaped object out of its pocket. Ana’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“I- is that the new scope you’ve been talking about, or are you just that happy to see me?” 

“Funny as always, ma cobra égyptien. For you.” 

She handed the rifle scope to Ana, who looked at it lovingly. She had to laugh at Ana’s almost childishly happy expression. 

“It’s high-end Nightforce glass with a digital milling reticle. 30x zooming power, 200 MOA and 55 millimetre diameter, because you complained about the lack of light the last time. I even added an illuminated reticle, for your convenience.”

Ana just shook her head in disbelief. 

“You’re the best, you know that?” 

“Oh, I so do,” she purred in response, taking the scope out of her hand and placing it on the bedside table carefully, “it would only be proper of you to thank me now.”

Ana pulled her down with a smile, their long hair tangling on the bed sheets. 

“Come here, my sexy optician. I think there is something in my eye.” 

“Is there? Okay, please take your clothes off so that I can have a better look,” she chuckled and brushed her underbelly against Ana’s hand. 

“Je t’aime,” she whispered lovingly, “take me.” 

 

“HOW DO YOU MEAN HELD HOSTAGE?” 

Ana was roaring so loud her voice was giving out. Her voice was deafeningly loud, echoing in the briefing room. The rage made her see red and her head ache, thumping with blood.

Jack wanted to explain, but the fact that she was holding him up in the air by the collar was not giving him much space to breathe, let alone speak. 

“A-Ana if… If youd-let me-down-I’d-“ 

“HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN, JACK? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WATCH HER!”

“Ana, it was her husband who was the highest priority target, we didn’t realise-“ 

She threw Jack to the ground, wheezing with rage. 

“ _WHAT?_ ” 

Her sniper’s eye was aimed at Gabriel now, and he realised now why they would call her the Egyptian cobra, wherever that nickname came from. Her rage felt deadly, and the tattooed eye’s glare was like poison.

“We didn’t realise she’d have any value for them,” Jack’s voice still sounded caped, but at least he could talk now.

“You need to calm down Ana. We’ll get her back,” Gabriel added, putting his hand on Ana’s shoulder carefully. She jerked it off and turned back to Jack, clenching her fists. 

“Wallah, Jack. Wallah, that if anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible. You and you alone,” she hissed through her teeth, her nostrils trembling, a single tear running down her cheek, “she trusted you and asked you for help, and you failed. I will never forget this.”

She hypnotised him for a little longer, and when he didn’t have any answer for her, she walked off, her heels clicking on the floor, resonating for many long seconds in the deadly silence. 

“Why does she suddenly care so much? Did she even know her? We are dealing with hostage situations practically on a daily basis,” Lena said, the shock from what she had just witnessed readable in her voice. Seeing your bosses strangle each other is not something that happens every day. 

Jack cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“I believe there were some personal affairs that are making this particular hostage situation very touchy for Ana. No need to get into that.”

He got up heavily, nodding at the rest of his team. 

“Gather everyone. We’re going to Annecy,” he said then in a grim voice, “no matter how Amari thinks of it, Gérard is still a priority number one.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“All units, this is Morrison. We have the hostages moving out. Ana, you ready?”

A clear shot into a security guard’s head. And one more. That should do it. 

“Roger that. I’m looking out for you.” 

She had the whole street covered, for now. Everything clear. Morrison, Singh, Kimiko and Mirembe were navigating the scientists out of the building where they have been held hostage by Talon operatives. Moving through the uncovered corridor was a dangerous move, but they had no other options than to go open and trust Ana’s covering fire.

“Take care of us, mama bear.” 

She smirked at Singh’s remark, although it made her stomach twist. 

_Always do._

But she knew she wasn’t completely on top. This mission made her too involved. It made her too aware of the similarities with the hostage situation fifteen years ago. When Amélie Lacroix got kidnapped by Talon, and once they found and saved her (or so they thought), it was already too late for her. She suffered a heavy case of amnesia, she only seemed to recognize her husband’s face. Everyone else - her colleagues from the institute, Overwatch members, her friends, even Ana - as if they were erased from her memory. But they all believed the hope is not lost yet. They believed that Amélie can return to her normal life, and, given the care and love and scientific help that Overwatch could offer, she’d be able to return to her husband. Ana accepted this as well, as much as it shattered her heart into a thousand pieces. But she was willing to make this sacrifice, for the sake of Amélie’s successful return into her own life. 

Little did they know that Amélie’s amnesia was a result of a heavy neural reconditioning program, and that she was just playing her role, until the right moment came for her to strike. And it did soon enough. Two weeks after her successful extraction and reconvalescence, when everyone was starting to believe that Amélie was safely back, although shaken heavily, she put a bullet through Gérard’s heart in his sleep. Nobody has heard of her since.

Ana’s heart ached when she thought of that horrible tragedy. One would expect the years to be more merciful to her memory, but as much as she seemed to be forgetting the less important things, this one was still fresh in front of her eyes as if it happened yesterday. Seeing Gérard’s peaceful face in the blood-soaked bed of their summer home in Annency, and the terrible bloody lip-print on his cheek. 

 

But now is not the time to fall into that spiral of guilt and mourning all over again. She needs to make sure her _family_ makes it home safe. 

“What these scientists know about the project can’t fall into Talon’s hands. We need to go!”

Morrison’s voice sounded in her com, with an urgency she did recognize too well. 

“Looks like you’re all clear,” she responded calmly, “take the alley to the right and cut through that warehouse. It will give you more cover, and I’ll get more time to scount the surroundings.” 

Sometimes you think you’ve got things under control. You are out there, breathing in the dust and the dirt, the scope pressing into your eye socket, the cold but familiar gun-stock pressing against your cheek, and you feel like this is another day’s business that you’ll get over with soon, just like many others. Once the job is done, you return home to your daughter, give her a hug, and then fall asleep on the couch with her on your lap, too soon again, even before her evening cartoon starts. 

Because that’s how it usually goes. 

But sometimes… Sometimes the fate picks the wrong card for you. Or maybe you lead its hand while doing so.

When the two gunshots fired, Ana immediately tracked their origin, two different spots, but the positions were empty except for a cloud of dust. 

_How the-_

“Agent down! Agent down!” 

Jack’s voice hurt her ear as it crackled in the com. 

“Where’s the shooter?! Ana, report!” 

“Looking!” she breathed out. It seemed that there were two of them, although she couldn’t be completely sure. She traced the smudges across the field, sweat dripping down her forehead into her eyes. She hasn’t seen this kind of speed before, especially not in a sniper. But she had a hold of him now. The Egyptian Cobra doesn’t get her prey get away. 

Suddenly a bullet whizzed not even an inch away from her right ear. She barrel-rolled to cover immediately, her heart beating in her neck. How the hell did that happen?

“I’ve been engaged! Changing position!” 

She ran through the corridor, taking cover under the window level. Jumping down the collapsed ceiling and stationing behind a wall of wooden planks. The shots were coming from all the sides. It sounded as if there were at least five of the shooters now. She needed a more open spot, but she couldn’t take a bigger risk right now. 

“Everyone good?” she shouted, panting. 

An answer was another wave of painful cries and shouts from her soldiers. 

_Fuck,_ she thought, _i need to take this bitch down before he kills all my men!_

“Ana, can you get a handle on the shooter?”

“Pretty sure there’s two, Jack.”

“I’ve been hearing a chatter about a new Talon sniper,” Kimiko said, “moves like lightning… This could be him.“

Ana wasn’t listening anymore. She caught a sight of the sniper now, and wasn’t going to let him get another chance now. 

“Now I have you,” she whispered under her breath, reaching to her belt for a controller of the three explosive drones that have been dispatched with them.

“Morrison, the pink building… Third floor, corner window. Break when you see impact.” 

She sent out the directions through the remote control, and in less than half a second, an enormous explosion shook the whole ground. 

“Everyone move! Ana, you too!” 

Morrison’s orders were clear, but _her_ mission wasn’t over yet. It was time for the others to take the hostages to safety. But this sniper… She needs to look him in the eye. 

“No.”

“EVAC’s on its way! Wheels up in two! Now beat feet!” 

Ana disregarded his voice echoing in her head as she kept tracing the sniper’s - now slightly disorganized - movement across the field. She’s almost got him now. The explosion startled him and made him lose his edges. So close. 

“Disengage, Ana! That’s an or-“ 

She turned her com off with a silent click, letting the sniper slip away from her line of sight. Suddenly, another shot came from an unexpected angle, hitting the oil barrel next to her. Another explosion ensued, making her fly in the air. 

_Nice shot, using the terrain against me,_ she thought as she landed on her knee, immediately taking cover behind a wall, _but you just told me where you are._

She raised her rifle to her face and aimed at the space between the two tall buildings on the opposite side of the street. There he was, obviously searching for her, but his scope was down. Ana’s gunsight’s center rested on the sniper’s face, and before another second passed, she breathed out sharply, tightened her stance and pulled the trigger. An iron clank sounded louder than the gunshot of her rifle, throwing the sniper’s head back from the impact, crushing his face armor along the way. Ana heard a painful cry. It was a female voice. 

_Alright, a girl’s night out then._ _Maybe the toughest shot I’ve ever made. And now your time is u—_

The sniper turned her face back and looked straight in the scope of Ana's rifle. Ana thought she was hallucinating at first, but with the expression of absolute fury and rage, it was Amélie Lacroix gazing back at her.

Ana’s heart stopped. She froze, looking the death on Amélie’s face straight in the eye, like a deer staring into the headlights of a nearing truck. Amélie smiled warmly, raised the scope of her semi-automatic rifle up to her face… And the hiss of the shot resonated in Ana’s head. She saw the bullet leaving the barrel, cutting through the air, she saw its tip sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight. It crushed through the glass of her scope (the one that Amélie made specially for her), and exploded in Ana’s head. 

The rifle fell out of her hands as she collapsed to the ground, holding her heavily bleeding face with both of her hads. 

“Amélie!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice breaking in her throat. Gasping for air, she lied on the ground, the blood running through her fingers. Her own heavy, wheezing breath was resonating in her head, and her sight, or what was left of it, was getting dark. She was trying to fight it, feeling the death sneaking up on her, closing its cold, merciless fingers around her throat, making it harder for every breath to come through. She felt under her palm that the bullet left a gaping hope in her face. A heavy stream of hot, thick blood was coming from where her eye was supposed to be. A scream of horror and agony escaped from her throat, but it sounded like the caw of a dying crow, resonating on the empty street. The metallic taste of blood and the buttery taste of the eye tissue in her mouth made her gag, only increasing the thumps of pain in her head. 

_I failed. I hesitated, and I failed. And this is the price I’ll have to pay. Dying in the field, in the pool of my own blood mixed with dirt and my tears, left behind for my own foolishness._

“Fareeha… ‘Inna asif.” 

Losing her consciousness was a sweet liberation from the pain.

 

* * *

 

 

“She was found later that day by a group of scouts of a rogue combat unit. She was gravely wounded and lost a great amount of blood, but it wouldn’t be your mother if that wasn’t far from enough to really take her down. They got her to the nearest hospital, saving her life.”

Angela sighed deeply, her eyes filled with painful tears looking at Fareeha, searching for… For what? Comfort? Understanding? Forgiveness? 

But Fareeha held her face in her hands, taking deep breaths through her fingers. Her whole body was almost painfully tense. 

“How am I the last one to know this?” 

She finally looked up, her face messy and eyes red from crying.

“How have I never heard that my mother, the finest sniper on Earth, has been taken down by… By… _Widowmaker_?” 

Angela sighed again and caught one of Fareeha’s big, scarred hands in hers. 

“I don’t know, my love. But since she went down that day, Morrison and all the others have tried countless times to find her and bring her back to us. To you. But you know better than anyone that she is the best of the best. She will not be found unless she wants to be.” 

Fareeha chuckled without a smile. 

“I guess I do know that better than anyone.”

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and put the hair away from her face. The sharp edges of her face seemed even sharper now, in the dim light of Angela’s room. 

“I still don’t understand how could she just leave me like that. In all the selfishness a child is entitled to, I just don’t understand.” 

Without looking her in the eye, Angela spoke: 

“Fareeha, neither do I. Neither does any of us. But your mother’s burden has been heavy, and her main goal, as a commander-in-chief, as a soldier, as a woman, and as a mother, was to protect everyone she loved. That day, she failed her people, and she failed her own mission, because of her own weakness. And she was never weak. Not once. Maybe… Maybe she thought that she doesn’t have what it takes anymore. That leaving it to the others will be the best way to protect you.” 

Fareeha shook her head. 

“I don’t even know what to think. I am so mad at her, but so sorry for her at the same time. I wish she had come back sooner, I wish she had told me all this herself, I wish she would have been around when I needed her most…” 

Angela sat up on the bed, her bruised back still giving her a lot of pain, making a painful grimace and hissing silently. Fareeha looked at her, alarmed, but Angela smiled and clicked her tongue silently. 

“She’s here now. We all have our demons we fight through every day, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much it must have taken for her to defeat hers. She came back for you, and I know that the bitter taste is very strong still. But you will see you’ll grow back together. You are more similar than you think… So be glad you have each other now. Some of us aren’t lucky enough to have a chance to look their parents in the eye ever again.” 

“You are right,” Fareeha agreed silently, and wrapped her arms around Angela’s waist carefully, “once again, you’re right. I’ll follow the doctor’s orders.” 

Fareeha could feel Angela smile in her hair, and relax comfortably in her arms. 

“There’s just this one thing that’s been bothering me…” 

“What is it then?”

“She hardly ever lets me heal you lately,” Angela mumbled into Fareeha’s neck in a grumpy voice, and Fareeha couldn’t help but laugh out loud. 

“Well, you know. Mothers,” she replied, still laughing, “she tried to give me a falafel for a snack for a mission the other day. I guess she got the message when I fired it back at her with my rocket launcher.” 

Angela burst out laughing at that impossible image. Tears were running down her cheeks now, but this time, she didn’t try to stop them. 

“What kind of a family are you?” she wheezed.

“A bunch of idiots, obviously.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for my poor attempts at Egyptian Arabic. Please feel free to correct me. I use it mainly because of the lingual variety of the game itself. (And I've recently been crushing hard on the outcry Ana does with her ult. Please bear with me.)  
> Any other comments are welcome, too! :)


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